The Remedy
by Xeebar
Summary: Nazz and Marie, two girls as different as two people can be, are drawn together for a school project. Can a friendship blossom between these two and will a tragedy bring them closer together or will the people around them threaten to tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

_It's too early..._

The day was overcast and the sky was dark with clouds that looked ready to burst with rain at any moment. It was early in the morning and among the various people making their way to Peach Creek High School were the Kanker Sisters. Lee seemed to be particularly animated and May's gaze was transfixed on her. Marie, however, seemed as though she wanted to be anywhere but right there with her sisters. Her eyes were dull and her movements slightly sluggish. She was still tired.

"And then, May'll catch Eddy off-"

 _It's too early for this right now..._

A loud giggle was followed quickly by a snort. "Good idea Lee!"

 _Stop talking..._

"And then, Marie, you're gonna-"

 _I don't care... It's too early..._

"Marie. 'Ey, Marie!" Lee snapped her fingers rapidly in front of the blue haired girl's face. "Were you even listenin' to me just now?" Even with the crimson curls shading her eyes, Marie could tell that Lee's eyes were boring into her.

Marie trailed dark eyes over to meet the redhead's hidden gaze. "Yeah Lee. I was listenin'. You want me to trip Big Ed into a rope er... Somethin'." She yawned loudly. It was an obnoxious sound. One she only made to spite her older sister. "I got it."

Lee scowled and jabbed her elbow right into Marie's hip, earning a loud grunt and a hard glare. "You weren't listenin' again! It's because'a you the Eds've been gettin' away from us lately!"

Marie's fingers clenched into tight fists. Every urge within her was screaming to send her fist flying into Lee's stomach. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. "Nothin's because'a me. Don't blame me for your incompetence! Just because _you_ can't get the boy you want doesn't make it _my_ fault!"

In all honesty, Marie's drive to chase after the Eds had dwindled over the years it had been happening. Plan after plan, attempt after attempt, to get them to fall in love with them had all failed and Marie was tired of it. She just... Didn't care anymore. She'd tried numerous times to explain to Lee to give it a rest but every time, she was shot down and told to "Get her head back in the game."

Her eyes never lost the harshness in their glare. In spite of the fact that Lee was taller than she was, Marie never backed down. Not even when she knew that Lee's gaze was just as hard as her own behind her hair.

"What did you say ta me?" Lee's voice was low. A sign she was mad and getting madder. Both sisters had stopped walking at this point.

"You heard me," there was a bit of a challenging edge to the tone of Marie's voice. "It ain't. My. Fault you can't get the boy you want because you're in-com-pe-tent." The word was spoken slowly, just to further emphasize her snark.

May's gaze between her two sisters was a concerned and worried one. She shrank into her shoulders and suppressed a quiet whimper. "Guys... Don't..." She knew better than to try to step between them, though. The last few times she had resulted in a hurt jaw and a black eye for her.

Marie wasn't stupid. She knew her sister well. She could see the subtle motions of Lee's shoulders squaring for what she assumed would be some kind of sucker punch. She'd be lying if she said Lee wasn't fast with her swings. Thankfully, though, Marie was just a little bit faster. As quickly as she could, she ducked her body low and lunged forward, ramming her head into Lee's stomach. The audible, nearly winded grunt was enough for her to know she had caught the redhead off guard. She had just a few seconds before Lee regained enough composure to attack back. The bluenette feinted to the side and scurried past both Lee and May. Due to her awkward hunched position, she had to use her momentum as best she could to push herself back up onto her feet properly. She didn't look over her shoulder as she ran in the direction of the school. Behind her, she could hear Lee's shouts of "You gotta come home today, asshole!" All Marie did was quickly adjust the strap of her bag more securely on her shoulder and increase the pace of her running.

"Dude, did you see the Kankers this morning? It looked like a fight was about to break out. I almost feel robbed I didn't get to see a fist fly." Kevin was busy getting the books he would need for his first-period class out of his locker.

Beside him were the two people he was often seen with. A tall foreign boy most people assumed was Norwegian and a blonde girl, whose gaze appeared neutral at worst and semi-concerned at best.

"Flying fists? Surely you jest He-Who-Rides-The-Steel-Pig." Rolf was stuffing his books into a goatskin sack.

Kevin's facial expression dropped any pretense of amusement, but before he could explain that he rode a motorcycle to Rolf, again, Nazz interrupted him with a quiet murmur.

"I don't think it's cool to want to see anyone fight for any reason that's not sportsmanlike, Kev."

Kevin's brow furrowed. "You serious? You're telling me you wouldn't wanna see them finally tearing each other apart after the hell they put the rest of us through for years?"

"Yes."

The jock managed to refrain from rolling his eyes and instead loosed a grunt. "Anybody ever tell you you're too nice sometimes, Nazz?"

"Sometimes," her words were spoken with a playful, cheeky smile. 

* * *

"When do you think the teacher will get here?" Edd's voice held a deep level of concern.

His first-period class was Creative Writing. He shared the class with Nazz, Eddy, Ed, the Kanker Sisters, and Johnny. The last remaining straggling students slumped their way into class and to their desks as Eddy rolled his shoulders noncommittally.

"Dunno. Maybe she won't show up and we can't get outta that dumb test."

Edd frowned. "You know Eddy. Perhaps if you studied more, you wouldn't be so concerned about upcoming exams."

Eddy shot the words back at him with a mocking edge to his voice then waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah yeah."

"Studying is boring Double D," Ed said.

Eddy snrked. "Lumpy gets it. I got way more important junk to do."

Edd rolled his eyes. "If you say so, Eddy."

Marie's feet were propped up on her desk, her arms were crossed and her eyes were closed. Her sisters were on the other side of the room today. May she didn't mind, but she was still very upset with Lee. Still. She was serene enough. At least until she felt a pen ricochet off the side of her head. She snapped her eyes open and quickly turned her head in the direction the pen had come from. Her lips curled into a sneer when she noticed that the only person looking directly at her was her older sister. The blunette scoffed, stuck up her middle finger and turned to face forward once again. Instead of closing her eyes, she let them rest half open. Her gaze scanned the classmates seated in front of her. She watched the Eds prattling on about something she wasn't really interested in then her gaze shifted over to Johnny. He seemed to be laughing with that piece of wood he'd been carrying around since he was a kid. Her lips thinned slightly. He was nearly out of high school and still talked to that thing like it was a living person.

 _What a freak,_ Marie thought.

Then her gaze moved and settled on the blonde seated not too far in front of her. Nazz Van Bartonschmeer. The head cheerleader. The popular girl. The Angel of Peach Creek High. From what Marie could see, Nazz was laughing about something on her phone. She wondered what could be making her giggle like that. It was such a cheerful sound with a noticeable lilt. Marie worked her jaw back and forth. She should really find a time to talk to her. She mentally scoffed at herself. What would she even talk to her about? Nazz didn't seem like the kind of girl into any of the things she liked. Marie sputtered and closed her eyes, though not for long as the peppy voice of an older woman reached her ears.

"Good morning, students! I'm sorry for arriving so late. I was in a meeting with Principal Antonucci." She turned and wrote her name on the board in large, curly letters. "My name is Mrs. Piper. I'm gonna be your substitute for the next few weeks. Your teacher unfortunately hurt himself in a rock climbing accident. Broken an arm and a leg. So sad." She shook her head. "So in his place, I'll do my best to make sure you all are learning what you need to be! Now if you would all please pull out your homework from the previous night, I'll be collecting that shortly."

Marie blinked as she eyed this woman. With her young looking face, silky shoulder length black hair and slender frame, she couldn't have been older than 25. The sounds of bags opening and papers shuffling around her caused her to quickly snap to and reach for her own work. She pulled out a small stack of stapled together typed-faced papers and looked over the title once before setting it on her desk in front of her. It read iNovocaine./i She sighed softly, hoping it was good enough. She'd spent a decent amount of time at the library working on it.

When the time came for Mrs. Piper to pick up their papers, Marie was once again reclined in her seat with her eyes closed. She heard footsteps approaching her, prompting her to peek an eye open and meet the teacher's smile with a silent nod. She seemed nice enough Marie thought.

Once all of the homework was collected, Mrs. Piper clasped her hands together and smiled.

"Alright guys. It's time for the exam. I assume you all know what you're being tested on?" She was met with responses varying in their level of enthusiasm. "Very good! Please take out a pencil or a pen. Black or blue ink only." As she spoke, she picked up a stack of papers and walked around to begin handing them out. She glanced at the clock. It read 8:37. "You have until 9:10. That's twenty minutes before class ends. Your teacher had planned for a partner assignment."

Mrs. Piper easily ignored the complaints and continued speaking. "I know most of you don't like to be partnered up, but just think that the quicker you get the assignment over with, the quicker this whole thing will be over. And to make it fair for everyone, Mr. Sanders has already assigned the duos." Again, she was met with groans and complaints, which she promptly ignored. She strolled back to her desk and sat down. "You may begin."

Marie looked down at the papers before her and managed to keep from sighing.

'Great. I'm sure this is gonna be tons of fun.' 

* * *

9:10 rolled around and Mrs. Piper stood to collect the tests. Several students looked confident. Others looked worried. Marie though? She looked indifferent. She wasn't worried. Hell. She thought the test wasn't even that hard. She'd studied, but still. She drummed her fingers on the top of her desk and glanced up when the teacher had begun to speak.

"The time has come. I'm sure you're all excited to find out who you'll be working with on your projects."

"Oh yeah. _Real_ excited," Eddy snarked.

Mrs. Piper's grin didn't fade as she held up a list. "These are the partners."

She began to read off the names. Many of the students seemed fine with who they were paired with. Eddy was settled in his seat, eyes locked on Nazz. He could only hope he was paired with her. It would give him the opportunity to try to shmooze and charm her without Shovelchin Kevin bothering him.

"Eddy."

He perked, eyes on the blonde.

"You're with... Ed."

If his smile and eyes could have shattered, they would have. His smile fell instantly and he turned his gaze to the large boy who was grinning as though he had just won the gravy lottery.

"Happy Day Eddy! You and I are going to have much fun!"

Marie couldn't help but smirk at the boy and his sputtering as she listened to May and Lee and Johnny and Edd being paired together. Wait... That only left-

"Marie Kanker and Nazz Van Bartonshmeer."

Dark eyes widened and for the first time all class, Marie sat up straight. Her eyes locked onto the blonde's. That azure gaze that was just as surprised as her own. Eddy groaned audibly in the background, but Marie couldn't even begin to care. Her visible eye was glued to Nazz's.

Both girls sat staring wordlessly at each other. Neither girl immediately budged when the class was instructed to move beside their partner for the remainder of the class period to discuss ideas.

Nazz's expression appeared to be somewhere between shocked and mildly worried. She'd never actually had to work with a Kanker before. Would this be a good idea? Could she trust that Marie wouldn't do anything to her if she invited her over for the sake of their schoolwork, right? She shifted rather uncomfortably as she watched Marie grab her bag and meander over to sit in the desk beside her.

"Hey Princess." Marie's eyes returned to hers.

"Hey dude," she chuckled quietly. Nervously. "I guess we're working together, huh?"

"Seems like it. Look. You probably don't want me in your hair too much durin' this so how about we brainstorm a few topics now then we can discuss what we wanna end up doin' at lunch? Sound cool?"

Nazz nodded. "Sure, Marie. Sounds cool."

The blunette offered her a light smile and pulled out a grey notepad as Nazz opened up a pink one. It didn't take the two girls long to begin thinking up various topics that they could potentially do. The talking was strained at first, but over the course of the class, Nazz seemed to lower her guard enough to relax. They even ended up sharing a few laughs. When the bell finally rang, their teacher gave them a final parting reminder and then let them be to leave.

Nazz stood up as Marie was setting her bag on her shoulder.

"Sooo I'll see you at lunch?"

Marie flashed another soft grin and nodded. "Yeah, dude." She stood up and lightly punched the other girl in the shoulder. "Save me a seat."

Nazz placed her hand on her shoulder and laughed quietly before she turned on heel and walked towards the door. "You got it."

Marie wasn't long behind her. She wanted nothing to do with her sisters still. She was feeling good, though. Things weren't as awkward with Nazz as she thought they would be and she even wanted to meet up again at lunch. The smile that had been on Marie's lips widened. Maybe this would turn out okay.


	2. Chapter 2

Marie's eyes were trained ahead of her as she made her way to the cafeteria. Her hair was still a little bit damp from the shower she had taken near the end of gym class. She smelled like fresh blueberries. The humor in the fact that she loved to keep her hair blue wasn't lost on her. In her right hand was a brown paper bag containing her lunch. There were many days where she could have brought something in a fancier carrier, but she never thought it was worth the trouble. To her, the bags carried her lunch as well as any fancier container.

With every step that brought her closer, she could feel her heartbeat occasionally skipping. As if she was excited. Her brows furrowed. Why would she be excited? She was just going to the cafeteria. Was it because she was going to see Nazz? Her brows lofted. Her heart skipped another beat. She lifted her free hand to her chest.

 _Shit..._

She shook her head and grit her teeth. Nazz was the popular girl. She wasn't allowed to like the popular girl. She was only going to sit with the popular girl today to talk about their project. That was it.

That was it...

Before too long, she was standing outside the cafeteria doors. Even through the steel double doors, she could hear the sounds of boisterous teenagers talking loudly about whatever. Rolling her shoulders, she pressed down on the bar and pushed her way through.

Inside was even louder than outside. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Her visible eye scanned around, passing over many familiar faces, until she was able to see those familiar blonde locks bobbing with what could only be laughter. She started to move in Nazz's direction. From where she was she could see that the blonde was already seated with Rolf and a pair of underclassmen. A redhead that was quite possibly louder than even Eddy and a little dandy of a boy who seemed to be sporting a new injury every week. Sarah and Jimmy. Whenever they were with Nazz, they seemed to be the cheerleading triumvirate. If there was any gossip involving the cheerleaders, it was sure to be about any of the three of them before the other members of the squad.

As Marie got closer, she was surprised to see that Kevin wasn't seated nearby. Normally, he spent the lunch period with one arm draped around Nazz. When she was within mere feet of the table, however, Kevin swooped in as if right on cue. She watched as he leaned into her and wrapped his arm around her waist. Above the other voices, she could clearly hear "Sup babe?" She blinked and remained frozen in place as she watched Nazz lean back into him as if offering an armless hug. Her jaw tensed and she took a moment to inhale deeply before moving closer to the table.

"So that's when Rolf's Nana took off her wooden leg and beat the great, hairy four-legged beast back into-"

Rolf's words were cut off by the sound of a paper bag colliding with the table. He looked as shocked as everyone when Marie took a seat right between himself and Sarah. He blinked several times then looked between his friends and asked in a voice that wasn't at all subtle.

"Why is the Blue Haired Menace at our table?"

Marie calmly opened her bag and eyed the contents. She ignored the looks of distaste she was sure she was getting. Kaven was the first to speak as she withdrew an apple.

"Uh. Who the hell do you think you are strolling over here and sittin' at our table like you're some kinda royal? Don't you have a nerdy dork to go torment?" He was unaware of the frown Nazz had thrown his way.

The bluenette took a bite of her apple and looked the jock straight in the eye as she chewed. She leaned her chin into her palm and tilted her head slightly.

"I'd like to think I'm Marie Kanker. Pretty sure it's been that way for eighteen years, buddy." She swallowed and continued. "Today's not a 'Mess with Edd' kinda day, ya know? It feels more like a 'Spite Annoyin' Redheads Who Say Stupid Shit To Me' kinda day." A smile graced her lips before she took another bite of her apple.

Kevin's jaw tightened. His fingers tensed on Nazz's shoulder.

"Why don't you scurry back to that trash heap you call a trailer and wallow with those pigs you call sisters?"

"Kevin!" Nazz's voice was a sharp exclamation. Audible over the quiet snickering of the younger teens.

Marie's eye twitched. Yeah, she was still irked with Lee, but she wasn't just going to let some shovel-chinned punk insult her sisters for free. Painted nails impacted into the apple she was holding. A quick glare in Sarah and Jimmy's direction shut them up real quick. She placed her apple on the table, but she didn't let go of it quite yet.

"You know what Kevvo? I'm gonna make this ireal/i simple for even a meathead dumbass like yerself to understand. My sisters'n I might not come from yer fancy ass, uptown upbringin', but you can be damn sure that if it came down to it, any of us could kick yer ass with one hand tied behind our backs and our eyes closed. I get it though. I get why you've gotta posture in front'a yer posse. You've gotta be Mr. Macho. You've gotta prove that yer not a bitch in the hopes that it'll land you in Nazz's pants." She, for the moment, ignored the way Nazz was shifting in her seat. "Well lemme tell ya, that ain't the way to do it. And even if by some miracle you did get to do her, you probably wouldn't even be able to rise to the occasion because yer'a limp dick, teeny-weeny chump."

She probably should have thought this through. She forgot to factor in that Nazz probably would have been surrounded by her friends, thus making actually talking to her impossible. Forethought wasn't something Marie used often. Oh well. She was enjoying watching the way Kevin's eye twitched. She was enjoying seeing his muscles tense and his cheeks burn with anger. Eyes were on their table now. Marie's lips were curling into a slowly developing smile.

"You wanna hit me don'tcha? Go on Kevvy. Do it. Prove you ain't a bitch and do it. Fuckin' do it!"

The following moments went by so fast. All Marie could remember before there was a stinging pain in her face was Nazz's sharp cry of Kevin's name, followed very quickly by an uproar of hooting and shouting from the present student body. Dark vision from closed eyes soon gave way to the sight of Kevin bracing one hand on the table and the other lifted and still balled into a fist. She could feel the blood trickling from her nostrils. She raised a hand and brushed her fingers against the crimson fluid then tilted her gaze up to meet Kevin's. He was panting and she was smiling once more.

"Wow..." She chuckled breathily once. "You didn't even fuckin' break it. Even for a football player, you hit like a fuckin' pansy." 

Marie wiped the back of her hand across her bleeding nose before using her other hand to gather up her bag. "I gotta handle this. Have fun with the teachers, bud." She stole a quick glance to the blonde, whose eyes were locked onto hers with a deep level of sorrow lurking behind them. Before turning to leave, she reached up and patted Kevin's cheek, shamelessly smearing the blood across his skin and causing him to yell and recoil in disgust. A giggle escaped her as she made her way towards the cafeteria exit. This wasn't over with the jock. Not by a long shot. She wanted him to hit her. She could have easily dodged or stopped it if she wanted to. But. Now he had to explain himself to both the principal and Nazz.

Nazz watched Marie disappear through the doors before finally breaking out of her stupor. Her hands were still on Kevin's arm. She couldn't stop him from lashing out. He'd acted too quickly. The jock was grumbling and wiping his face with a napkin when she looked at him. Her lips pulled into a frown before she shoved him as hard as she could.

"What the hell Kevin?!" she shrieked.

"What're you gettin' mad at me for?! That was her fault! She told me to do it!"

"And you listened?! You're just... Ugh!"

The blonde quickly gathered her things and stormed from the cafeteria after Marie.

Kevin trembled and flopped back into his seat, staring at the door long after Nazz had disappeared through it. He knew the teachers were mere feet away at this point. He pressed his hands to his face and rubbed vigorously.

"Fuck me."

* * *

Marie was just pulling out a cigarette when the bathroom door behind her swung open. Her shoulders were squared, but as she whipped around to see who had entered the bathroom, her body relaxed considerably.

"Hey, Princess." She seemed genuinely surprised that Nazz had followed her. Not too many people bothered to use this particular bathroom, so she and her sisters often found it to be a haven of sorts when they weren't using the school's furnace room. "What're you doin' here?"

Nazz bit her lower lip at the sight of the tissue wadded into Marie's nostrils. Both bits had grown considerably redder.

"Are you okay? Don't you need to see the nurse?"

Marie shrugged and shook her head. "Nah. I've been punched in the nose before and had it come out lookin' a lot worse than this." She placed the cigarette between her lips, but hesitated to light it when Nazz stepped close enough that the end of her stick was nearly touching her face. "Um..." Try as she might, she failed to keep the soft blush from dusting her freckled cheeks.

The blonde tentatively reached up to gently trace the very tips of her fingers against the blunette's swollen nose. Marie tried her hardest not to wince but ended up doing so slightly. That caused Nazz to quickly withdraw her hand.

"I'm so sorry...!"

"Don't worry about it. Th'pain'll go away eventually."

Nazz rubbed her upper arm sheepishly. "I'm sorry about Kevin... He can be a real idiot sometimes."

A laugh followed those words. The cigarette was pulled from between her lips. "Hey dude. It's not like you told him to hit me."

"I know but..."

"Nazz. Listen. It's fine. I fight with my sisters nearly every other day. If I can't handle a punch in the nose, I ain't a Kanker."

"I guess, but still-"

"Nazz," she placed her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders and met her gaze with her visible eye, "I'm. Okay." A smile followed these words. "Seriously. Don't worry about me."

Seeing Marie's smile was enough to cause Nazz to smile herself, albeit much more shyly.

"If you say so, then I'll believe you."

Marie's smile brightened. "Good." She released her shoulders and stepped away to replace the tissue in her nostrils. "So why else didja follow me in here? Or was it only to check on me because you were worried about me." She snickered.

The blonde straightened up and spluttered for a moment before huffing. "Well. Besides wanting to make sure you're okay, I thought I'd invite you to my house after school since talking at lunch didn't work out so well. How about it?"

Marie turned to face Nazz, nostrils newly plugged. "Me? Come to your place? For real?" Her questions were met with a nod. "Well if you're offerin' then sure. I'm off from work today so I should be able to make it pretty much when school lets out."

Nazz's lips slowly lifted into a more confident smile. "Awesome! I'll see you after school. We can walk toget-"

Right then, the bathroom door slammed open and standing in the doorway were Lee and May.

"Marie are you okay?! What's she doin' in here?! Is she tryin' to hurt you too?!" May attempted to charge the other blonde, but Marie quickly stepped in front of her and held her back.

"Easy May! Down girl." She gently shoved May back. "She was just comin' to make sure I was alright. We were just talkin' about that Creative Writing project."

May's gaze was skeptical, but she appeared to accept the answer. Lee's thoughts were unreadable. Not being able to see her eyes was a pain sometimes. She leaned again the wall and jerked her thumb out the door. "'Ey. Cheerleader. Beat it. Me my sister gotta talk." That was probably the nicest way Lee could have phrased that.

Nazz shivered slightly and looked at Marie. "So I'll see you after school?"

Marie nodded. "Yeah. See you."

With a nod and a soft smile, Nazz hurried her way past Lee. The bathroom door shut behind her, leaving all three Kanker sisters alone.

Marie's eyes soon focused on Lee, her own smile having faded. All humor in her voice had faded and when she spoke, it was still rather bitter sounding.

"...What do you want?"


	3. Chapter 3

To Marie's surprise, instead of attempting to add to her injuries, all Lee had done was walk forward and take her face in her hands. After a quick examination of her nose, the sisters had a quick conversation about what had happened at lunch and why Marie was in the bathroom with Nazz. Thankfully for the middle Kanker, she was able to eat her lunch and the conversation remained peaceful enough. When the time had come for lunch to end, Marie left her sisters with a light punch on the arm for each and the lightest of smiles on her lips. She was certain that Lee still hadn't forgotten about that morning, but for the time being, she had opted to let it slide. Marie was about halfway back to her class when she decided that she might just pay the nurse a visit after all. Truth be told, she didn't feel like sitting through the rest of her Algebra class. Turning in place, she began to make her way to the school nurse, eyes trained straight ahead instead of on any particular students that had passed her.

* * *

Music was probably Marie's favorite class. Not only was it the final one of the day, but it also allowed her to get her hands on one of the several types of guitars that the school had. While she did enjoy playing the electric guitar, she was really a analyze fan of the acoustic. She had been playing since she was sixteen years old and generally loved seeing the looks people gave when she proved to be a competent player. Her fingers strummed idly on the instrument's strings as the rest of her classmates funneled into the room. Both eyes were visible. Something that was a bit of a rarity for the blunette.

Among some of the last students to arrive were Nazz, Ed, Eddy, and Johnny. Marie kept an eye out for Kevin, but for the time being, it appeared he wasn't coming. She couldn't help but give an amused smile. She had begun to play a simple song as her eyes trailed to focus on Nazz. She watched as the blonde gathered her stand and the case for her tuba. Over the years, she had gotten better at the instrument, much to the relieved ears of those around her. For such a dainty girl, Marie found it amusing how she was able to handle the tuba with such ease. She waited until Nazz was setting up to stand and make her way over to her. She took a seat beside her and crossed her legs at the ankles.

"'Ey you."

Nazz's back straightened when she heard the voice beside her. She quickly looked over to see Marie sporting a cool grin.

"Oh my god. Hey dude. So you decided to see the nurse?" She motioned to the large bandage across her nose.

Marie nodded and shrugged. "I figured I might as well. It got me outta the rest of my class and the band-aid looks a helluva lot less dumb than tissue wads up my nose." The giggle she heard was enough to make her smile brighter. "Speakin' of. Where is the meathead anyway?"

It was Nazz's turn to shrug. "Knowing Principal Antonucci, he's got Kev in the detention room."

A hum escaped the blunette. "Right. Well. I'ma let you finished gettin' set up. I should probably get my music and the other guitar out before Mr. Davis has another fit."

The girls shared another laugh before Marie got up to go grab one of the electric guitars and set up in her area of the room. Nazz watched her walk off with a slight cant of her head. A quiet hum followed as she then looked back to the sheet music in front of her. The smile on cherry painted lips didn't fade.

* * *

"Dude. Can you fuckin' believe I got an entire week and a half of detention for punchin' that bitch?"

Kevin's eyes were set in a glare down at the piece of paper in his hand. Rolf glanced down at the paper with a tilt of his head. The duo were among the many students filing out of the school for the end of the day.

"Rolf thinks you should consider yourself lucky Iron Horse Kevin. Back home, people in your position would be pitted against one another in the Pit. It was how many disputes were settled."

The jock glanced up to his taller friend and opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. He balled the paper up and jammed it in his pocket.

"Meh. Maybe I can still try to convince 'em to let me at least go out long enough for practices. They oughta know I'm the face of our basketball and football teams."

Rolf rolled his shoulders and remained quiet. Kevin was his best friend, but sports-related matters didn't matter all that much to him in spite of the fact that he too had a place on both teams. He walked with Kevin out through the doors and watched as the redhead scanned around.

"Looking for Go Go Nazz Girl?"

"Yeah."

Kevin shaded his eyes as he scanned about, soon after spotting the blonde walking away from the school. He hopped down the stairs and jogged to catch up to her.

Nazz's eyes were so focused on her phone that she jumped when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. She quickly glanced up to see Kevin beside her.

"Oh. Hey Kev. What's up?"

The jock pouted slightly. "You could sound a little more excited to see me, ya know."

"Sorry, dude. How'd it go with the principal."

Kevin frowned and scoffed. "I ended up gettin' detention. It sucks but maybe I can talk 'em into easin' up on it." He quirked a brow. "Anyway though, you busy? I was thinkin' we could chill at my place for a bit."

Nazz shifted her bag on her shoulder and gave as apologetic a look as she could.

"I can't today. I've gotta get home and get to work on this project for my writing class."

"Aww c'mon. I'm sure you can get started on it tomorrow."

"Kevin, I said no. Maybe tomorrow, okay? I gotta go."

With that, Nazz carefully wriggled free of his arm and began to lightly jog towards her house.

Kevin's brows knit together over his eyes as he watched the blonde jog away. After muttering a quiet curse to himself, he jammed his hands in his pocket and turned around to go retrieve his motorcycle.

* * *

By the time Nazz had reached her house, she was greeted by a familiar face sitting on her porch.

"Hey Princess," Marie lifted her hand in a greeting wave.

The blonde returned the gesture then glanced over her shoulder and back. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Five minutes give'r take."

Nazz reached into her bag to pull out her key as Marie stood. "Really? I didn't even see you on the walk home." She pushed the door open and motioned for the bluenette to follow her inside.

Marie gave a light shrug. "Probably just took a different route or somethin'."

As Marie walked in, she looked around the living room. Compared to her trailer's living room, it was so spacious. And lacked the permanent smell of stale cigarettes. Quite suddenly she was feeling a little bit self-conscious. She had made sure to shower after gym class, but she was certain that her clothes still smelled of old cigarettes. Thankfully, if Nazz noticed, she didn't seem to mind.

"It smells nice in here."

Nazz looked over her shoulder with a smile. "Thanks. My mom and I are huge fans of potpourri."

That earned a snrk from the blue-haired girl. "You're _such_ a girl."

"Oh yeah? What does that make you then?" She was already ascending the stairs to make her way to her room.

The giggle that followed wasn't missed. Marie smiled and followed behind her. "A badass."

Nazz scoffed and turned to face the other teen. "Badasses can enjoy nice smells. Are you telling me you don't actually enjoy the smell of my house?"

Marie stopped and stared. Her smile had faded. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. It wasn't a deep blush, but it was noticeable. "What? No. That's not-" She was interrupted by the blonde's laughter.

"Dude, I'm kidding! Come on," she turned and continued walking, inviting Marie to join her in her room.

The bluenette sighed audibly and began walking after her. Once again, a smile was creeping onto her lips. Nazz had a sense of humor. She liked that.

Once the girls were in Nazz's room, the blonde told Marie that she could put her bag down and make herself comfortable. Her visible eye scanned the room. It seemed to be even more plush and fragrant than the living room. Pink and white seemed to be her colors of choice. It was so different from the drab and dark pallet she was used to seeing at home. Her bag was dropped beside the bed before she took a seat on the edge. Her eyes widened and without warning, she found herself flopping back onto the plush surface.

"Oh my goooood... What is this? Memory foam? It's so soft!" And it smelled divine. Like cinnamon and Nazz. Her fingers clutched slightly at the comforter as her eyes closed. Any desire to move was momentarily lost. She felt the bed shift beside her followed by a giggle.

"Dad thought it'd be a good idea to get one for each sleeping room in the house. He says a good rest is important. My parents have got one and there's one down in the guest room too."

Marie's head rolled until she was facing the blonde. She peeked her eyes open. "You're lucky." With a grunt and a bit of reluctance, she sat up and shook her hair out. "Alright, so. Any ideas in mind for what we can do this assignment?"

Nazz rifled through her bag, not too long after pulling out a purple binder. She crossed her legs and set it on her lap, flipping to the papers Mrs. Piper had handed out earlier that day.

"There was something that had caught my eye while I was looking over this list. Something called... Unwritten/Rewritten." She pointed it out on the page, causing Marie to lean over to look. "It says here that we work together to analyze lyrics, search for literary devices, and informally present findings." The duo looked further down. "Then it says to present our analysis in any form we choose."

"So what? We find a song to pick apart then reimagine its meanin' any way we want?"

Nazz nodded. "Pretty much."

Marie rolled onto her back once more and laid her head on her arms. "Well that sounds like it'd be fun as hell, but," she peeked her visible eye over to the blonde, "you'n I don't seem like the kind of girls to share the same musical taste."

Nazz crossed her arms and scoffed. "You don't know that."

Marie sat up once more and faced the other girl. "Oh yeah? Well how about we both make a quick playlist of songs we like and play 'em? I bet our tastes in music are night'n day."

"You're on," was Nazz's reply as she pulled out her cellphone.

The bluenette took a moment to observe the differences between their phones. Nazz's was an iPhone of sorts, protected by a sturdy glitter-backed case. Her own was a smaller, black Android smartphone graced with a few scratches and knicks. She probably could have upgraded long ago, but her car was more important to her than wasting money on a new phone. Still, she quickly averted her eyes back to her screen, swallowing down that mild feeling of self-consciousness once again.

The girls spent a few minutes each looking up a small playlist of songs. When the time had come to play them, Nazz started. As Marie expected, her first song was a recently released pop song. In response, the bluenette played a rock song released in the 80s. The duo continued playing their music, almost forgetting that they were supposed to be finding a song for their project. Marie was surprised to find that Nazz was actually a fan of Alternative rock music. In turn, Nazz was amused to find that Marie seemed to harbor a guilty pleasure love of certain pop songs.

Marie was lying with her head beside Nazz's lap. Steely Dan's _Do It Again_ had just finished playing. "Alright Princess. I'll admit. You got some pretty good taste in music, but," her fingers tapped at the screen of her phone, "have you heard this one?" She then reached over and plugged her phone into Nazz's speakers. She tapped play and soon the first strains of Abandoned Pools' _The Remedy_ began to play. Marie laid back down and closed her eyes, head bobbing slightly to the song.

Nazz's own eyes had closed, though a small gasp of recognition escaped her when she heard the song begin to play. Instead of exclaiming she waited until she heard the first line of the song.

" I... I could use a shot of novocaine- "

Marie's eyes snapped open. She flicked her gaze to the blonde.

" My... Soul's a fuse. Blows away your name- "

Marie quickly joined in, a smile growing on her lips.

" Then you can be the remedy. And I can be the enemy. And he can go and live as nothing- "

Nazz opened her eyes when she heard Marie's voice sounding to match her own. Her own lips curled into a smile. She brushed her hair from her face as she continued.

" Then you can be the wannabe. And I can be the remedy. And he can go to hell for all I care- "

Marie sat up, eyes locked onto the blonde's as their voices harmonized. Hers was a light alto mingling with Nazz's more soprano tone. Both girls sang audibly. Freely and shamelessly.

" Say this world is not so shallow. When you can't beg, steal, or borrow. Save your breath, your soul is hollow. .And it's all too much to swallow- "

The duo continued to harmonize together until the song was over, at which point they dissolved into a mess of laughter.

"I didn't think you'd know that song!"

Nazz scoffed. "Are you kidding me? I listened to the entire album all the time when I was a kid!"

Marie's eyes were practically glowing.

"Oh my god. That's awesome! Hey... We've got a while before we actually have to get any work done. Do you maybe wanna listen to the album?"

The blonde beamed, fingers tapping away at the screen of her phone.

"Yeah! Got it... Right here!" She plugged her phone into the speaker and pushed play on the start of the soundtrack playlist, Marie beaming as the music began to play.

* * *

It was dark by the time Marie decided to leave Nazz's house. They had spent most of the time together listening to music and simply talking. Both were surprised to find out how much they had in common. She even got to meet Nazz's parents. She was amused to see just where the blonde's quirks came from.

Marie was standing on the porch, Nazz in the doorway. Her fingers were fidgeting with the strap of her bag. "I'm thinkin' I'll come by tomorrow. That cool with you?"

Nazz smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'll be waiting by my locker. We can walk together."

The blunette grinned. "Awesome. I'll see you tomorrow, Princess." She extended a hand, which was quickly taken by the other girl. Their parting handshake seemed to linger, but neither commented on it. With one final wave, Marie turned to head towards her trailer.

"Get home safely!" Nazz called out after her. Only when Marie was out of sight did she finally close her door for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a little over two weeks since Nazz and Marie first began working on their project together. What started as meetings at Nazz's house to work on their project quickly grew into more casual hanging out. Marie would often find herself showing up at Nazz's house just to see if there were any new albums to listen to while they talked. In spite of how most people seemed to either fear or despise Marie, Nazz didn't think she was as bad as people claimed. Mostly because she had yet to get on the blue-haired girl's bad side.

Their new friendship hadn't gone unnoticed around the school and Cul-De-Sac. Nazz often found herself being guarded a bit more closely by Kevin. It was something that she found slightly insufferable, but she guessed he was just being careful. Marie, on the other hand, was constantly droning out any inquiries made by her sisters in spite of the fact that it usually ended up in a tussle between the three of them. It wasn't a closely guarded secret that she and Nazz were friends and she enjoyed spending time with her. She thought it nice to be able to be around someone who usually smelled of sugar and happiness.

Marie grunted as she rolled a particularly large tire over to its correct spot. She brushed her gloved hands together then wiped off her forehead as she looked over towards her coworker.

"Hey, Donald. You could get off yer ass and help ya know?" In spite of what was said, Marie had a smile on her lips.

"I'm on break. Talk ta me in ahhh... Twenty-five minutes."

She scoffed loudly and reached for an old newspaper, which she wadded up and tossed at the older man. "You were on break thirty minutes ago! Getcher ass up!" She laughed as she heard the man grunt out an 'Alright, alright.' "The Old Man wanted you to haul the excess scrap over to the scrapyard by five."

Donald nodded. "I know. Might as well get'er done. D'you know where the keys are this time?"

Marie rolled her shoulders. "Check the hook above the microwave. I think Roscoe had 'em last." As the large man lumbered into the building, she returned her attention to the tires. She wandered over to lifted up and roll a smaller tire to its designated pile.

When she wasn't dealing with school, Marie could oftentimes be found at one of her two jobs. She worked as a mechanic at Peach Creek Auto Parts And Repair and also as a part-time scrapper for the man who owned both businesses. Carmichael Marsden was a tough old man who Marie had known since she was barely a teenager. He and his crew were the ones who taught her everything she knew about vehicles. When she was finally old enough to begin working, he gave her a job and it was where she'd been ever since.

He was also the reason she was able to get parts for her car. Anything he was able to find that fit her vehicle was logged and stored away for her. Working at the scrapyard allowed her to pay for the cost the parts. She adored Carmichael and thought of him as the father figure she never really had growing up.

"Oi, Marie. You gotta customer out front. Young'un looks about yer age. Take care of her will ya?" Carmichael's voice rang out over the noises of the garage.

She looked over her shoulder at the burly, one-eyed man and smiled.

"Sure thing, Old Man."

She pulled off her gloves and tucked them into the pocket of her halfway tied jumpsuit. Her steps were quick as she jogged over to grab the clipboard from him. Dark eyes scanned the information as she made her way to the front counter. A soft laugh escaped her. "A Mazda..." She'd only bothered to look at the make and model of the car, not really who it belonged to. Most of the time, Marie didn't care about who owned the vehicle that was brought in. Only about what was wrong with it. However, when she saw who it was sitting in the lobby, her brows quirked and a grin spread across her lips. She leaned on the counter and called out.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

Nazz perked up when she heard the familiar voice. Her attention quickly snapped up from her phone to the blunette instead. Her grin matched the vibrancy of Marie's.

"Hey, Marie!"

She wasn't surprised to see Marie. She had told her where she worked. That didn't mean Nazz was any less happy to see her. She lifted into a stand and made her way over to the counter. "Are you gonna be the one working on my car?"

Marie nodded, "Yep. What's wrong with it?"

The blonde gave a light shrug. "It's just time for an oil change and a general tune-up."

Marie's response was a swift nod. "Pffft. I could do that in my sleep. Gimme about forty-five minutes, Princess. 'N don't worry. I'll take really good care of your car. I promise."

The two girls shared another smile before she pushed away from the counter and walked back into the garage.

* * *

Just as stated, Marie letting with Nazz's car nearly forty-five minutes later. When she came to the counter once again, her suit was dirty with oil and other smudges.

"Hey, Nazz. She's done. I noticed a minor issue with your alignment, but it's all fixed now. If I could just have you sign a few things'n pay, you're all good to go."

The blonde hopped up from her seat and walked to stand across the counter from Marie. "Awesome. Thanks so much."

Marie shrugged and handed her the clipboard and a pen. "It's my job. It's no big deal." She showed Nazz where to sign and watched as she guided the pen across the paper. She was smiling again. Marie could have sat and watched her smile for hours.

"Oh yeah. I was thinking of Netflixing a movie or something later on. Do you maybe wanna come by for a little bit after work?" Nazz glanced up from the clipboard and handed it back.

Marie's smile brightened, but she managed to retain it behind a bitten lower lip. She uttered a soft chuckle and nodded. "Sure, Princess. Sounds like fun. You just gotta let me get home and get cleaned up first."

An excited 'squee' escaped Nazz as she leaned over the counter to wrap her arms around Marie. she didn't seem to mind the grime and oil on the other girl.

"Awesome! I can't wait!"

The blunette blinked several times then shivered pleasantly and lifted her hands to gingerly pat at Nazz's upper back. She didn't want to make Nazz's clothes too dirty. The hug seemed to linger, but she didn't mind. Nazz smelled nice. She always smelled nice.

When the hug was finally broken, Marie turned and led her out to her car. She stood in the entryway to the garage and watched as Nazz started up her car and backed out to drive away. Once she was out on the road again, she lifted a hand and waved. Marie returned the gesture and watched the little pink car disappear in the direction of the Cul-De-Sac. A soft sigh fell from her lips. She still had about five and a half hours of her shift left, but she didn't mind. She had a reason to be excited about the end of her shift.

* * *

9:30 pm finally rolled around. Marie groaned loudly and stretched her muscles. "Alright, guys. It's time for me to roll on out. I'll be here tomorrow after school." Her response was several gruff voices wishing her a good night or telling her to be safe getting home.

As she walked, she looked up at the night sky. It was clear and the moon was full. After loosing a soft sigh, she pulled out her phone and texted Nazz.

 _hey. it's kind of late. do you still want me to come over?_

She waited a few minutes and soon got a reply.

 _Yeah of course! If you want, why not just come on over and shower and stuff here? I've got all kinds of clothes you can wear to sleep in._

This message was quickly followed by another.

 _If you want to stay over that is!_

A smirk crossed Marie's lips, but instead of replying with what she was going to originally she sent something else.

 _cool. i'll see you in a few princess._

Nazz replied with a smiley face, prompting Marie to slide her phone back into her pocket. She had considered calling her sisters and letting them know that she wasn't going to be home that night. In the end, she decided that May and Lee would be fine without her. She could handle them the next day if they decided to be bothersome.

* * *

She knocked on Nazz's door and waited. Mere moments later, the door swung open to reveal the bubbly blonde. She was clad in a pair of white short shorts and a pink shirt that seemed to be just a size too big for her.

"Hey Marie!"

Marie grinned. "Hey yourself."

Nazz giggled and motioned for her to come in.

"You know where my bathroom is. I already set some clothes and a few towels out for you."

The bluenette bobbed her head in a nod.

"Thanks, Nazz."

"You can put your work clothes in the laundry room when you're done. I'll be in the living room."

Marie nodded once more and made her way up to the bathroom while Nazz walked over to flop gracefully onto the couch. A smile painted its way onto her lips. Nazz was a nice girl. Not too many people would trust her alone in their house.

Once in the bathroom, Marie turned on the water. While she waited for it to heat up, she peeled the layers of clothing away from her body. Dark eyes caught sight of the clothes laid out for her. A pair of black boyshorts and a light blue t-shirt. She wondered if the underwear was new. She blinked several times then shook the thought away. If Nazz was letting her wear them, there was a good chance she was intending for Marie to keep them. As she stripped the last bit of clothing away, she took a moment to look over the shirt before she stepped in. She picked it up and took a quick sniff. It smelled like Nazz did, which caused her to tremble. Another quick sniff was taken before she set the shirt down and stepped into the shower.

The sting of the heated water felt good on her skin. In spite of the fact that Marie worked with all manner of vehicle and scrap and loved to get dirty, she hated the feeling of being dirty for too long. Water cascaded down her slender frame as her hands guided the rag along pale, freckled skin. All the while, she thought of the fact that Nazz was just downstairs. Maybe she should tell Nazz how she felt. Best case scenario, Nazz felt the same way. Worst case scenario, she wasn't into girls at all and that would more than likely make things awkward between them for the remainder of their time together.

Marie suppressed a growl as she began to wash her hair. Why was she so worried about telling this girl how she felt? When she was younger, she'd made it very clear that she was utterly obsessed with Eddward. Then again. She still wasn't sure how real those feelings were. Maybe she was driven by the pack mentality of her sisters. The blunette sighed and shook her head beneath the water to get the suds out. Maybe she was thinking too hard.

"Mmn..."

She'd tell Nazz when the time was right. After another thorough wash and rinse, she turned off the shower and stepped out to dry off. Moments later, she was dressed and carrying her dirty clothing downstairs. She dropped her clothes into a basket beside the washing machine and set her shoes down nearby, then she turned and wandered into the living room.

Nazz perked when she felt weight flop unceremoniously onto the couch cushions beside her. She beamed and leaned over to take a quick whiff of the bluenette.

"You used the honey drizzle shampoo and conditioner didn't you?"

Marie offered a small, sheepish smile and nodded.

"Yeah. Hope you don't mind."

The blonde shook her head with a friendly smile. "Of course not. It's my favorite too." She picked up the remote and began scrolling through movies. "I never actually decided on what to watch. Any ideas?"

Marie tapped at her chin then gasped and held her hand out for the remote. "Oh my god. I know exactly what we have to watch." When Nazz offered it to her, she took it and quickly began searching. "You ever watch _Pulp Fiction_?"

Nazz gave a shake of the head. "Um... Isn't that the 'Say what again' movie? I've only seen bits and pieces. I never got it."

The bluenette's eyes widened and she had to resist the urge to tackle the blonde back onto the couch. "You've never seen- Jesus Christ. Okay. We're watchin' this and you'd best prepare for one of the greatest movies'a all time!"

Marie's enthusiasm as she hit play on the movie was enough to make Nazz giggle. Though, the laughter was cut short when Marie wriggled to settle against her. Blue eyes lowered to watch as dark blue tresses filled her vision. Marie's cheek was pressed against her chest. One of her arms was sandwiched between Nazz and the couch cushions and the other dangled lazily against the floor. The blonde was taken aback by the action, but not incredibly perturbed. In a way, she found it almost adorable.

"Hope you don't mind, Princess. This is one'a those movies where ya just gotta get all comfy."

Nazz shrugged and shifted herself one final time before deciding she was comfortable.

"It's fine. You're super warm." Nazz found herself not really wanting to say something in the negative to Marie. Less because she was afraid of the fact that she was a Kanker and more because she found herself genuinely enjoying Marie's company. She let her eyes fall into a comfortable half-close as she laid her head back against the fluff of the couch cushion. One of her arms draped over Marie's shoulder to rest between her shoulder blades and the other hand lifted to languidly begin caressing through Marie's still slightly damp hair.

Marie blinked several times and nearly opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. The gentle stroking was soothing. Her own eyes fell half closed as she focused both on the tv and the feeling of Nazz's fingers running through her hair. For the first time in a long time, the bluenette felt truly relaxed. She tensed her arm against Nazz in the subtlest of hugs. She had the blonde to thank for that.


	5. Chapter 5

Marie couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep. Dark brown eyes blinked opened slowly and a hand lifted to block the sunlight peeking in through the slits of the blinds. Her hazy vision trailed about, taking in the sight of bright colors and a neat living room. She blinked several times, settling back onto the cozy couch. She drew the blanket atop her up to her nose and inhaled slowly. It was quickly followed by a deep exhale. That's right. She was at Nazz's house. A sleepy smile crossed her lips.

The bluenette was content to remain curled up underneath the warmth of the blanket, but the scent of bacon and hashbrowns soon assaulted her nostrils. She blinked her eyes open and sat up, back arching and joints popping. "Fuckin' Christ..." was muttered underneath her breath. After uttering a yawn, she pushed the blanket back and swung her feet to the floor. A quick look at at the wall clock revealed it was nearly 8 o'clock. It was rare for Marie to be up so early on the weekend. She took a moment to fold the blanket before standing and making her way towards the kitchen.

As soon as she stepped in, she was greeted by a very chipper, "Good morning, dear!"

"Mornin' Mrs. Van B." Marie's voice was still rather drowsy as she walked to take a seat beside Nazz. Normally, Marie detested people speaking so vibrantly in the morning, but she couldn't help but find Nazz's mother endearing. The woman was usually clad in a pink accented pair of white tennis pants, a white tank top and running shoes. This morning was no different. "Breakfast smells great."

"Aww thank you, hon. It'll be ready soon. Can I get you anything to drink?"

Marie's eyebrows rose slightly. "Coffee. Lots of cream'n sugar. Thanks."

The older woman nodded and began to hum as she set about making the coffee. Marie couldn't help but smile. She could clearly see where Nazz got her style and personality from. She laid her chin on her open palm and let her eyes drift shut.

"How'd you sleep?"

Her eyes opened just as quickly as they shut and trailed over to the warm smile of the blonde seated beside her. Her smile didn't fade.

"Best sleep I've had in ages. When did I fall asleep anyway?"

Nazz giggled and let it trail off into a happy sigh. "We were halfway through the last bit of the movie when you stopped laughing and everything."

Freckled cheeks burned, but Marie laughed quietly in spite of it. "You finished the movie, though, didn't you?"

The blond bobbed her head in a nod. "Oh yeah. Of course! It was definitely different than the movies I'm used to, but it wasn't bad at all. I may have to avoid pawn shops from now on, though."

Marie stared for just a few seconds before laughter spilled from her lips. "Dude, you're tellin' me. The first time after we saw the movie, mom tried to get us to go into a pawn shop. My sisters'n me, we were like... 8'n 9, ended up dog pilin' the shop owner'n screamin' about how he wasn't gonna bring us to his weird, creepy basement."

Before she knew it, Nazz found herself laughing along. "That must have been an experience."

"You're tellin' me. Mom apologized for a long time then dragged us home and whooped the hell out of us." Marie scoffed just as the coffee mug was set down before her and a glass of orange juice was set before Nazz. "Thanks, ma'am." She brought it to her mouth and took a sip. It burned, but it was a delicious burn. "Woah. This is really good!" Nazz's mom smiled and turned to begin making their plates. Premium quality coffee was a luxury for Marie. She had opportunities to buy her own, but it'd just be gone within a few days so she never bothered.

The blonde's lips curled down into a faint frown. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

Marie waved her hand dismissively as she took another sip of coffee. "Don't be. It was ten years ago. Besides. My sisters'n me do worse to each other than my mom ever could." She took note of the concern that flashed across Nazz's face. "I wouldn't worry too much, though."

Nazz's mom placed the plates on the island countertop in front of them as Nazz watched Marie.

"I'm worrying," the blonde stated.

Marie curled her lips into a playful smirk as she took the fork between her fingers. She twirled it skillfully between her digits before dropping it to spear into the eggs on her plate.

"Careful doll. Talkin' like that'll make me start to think you care about me."

"Would that be a bad thing?"

The bluenette halted her fork in mid-air, eyes trailing from her food back to the blonde. The question had actually caught her off guard. She stared for a few seconds before letting out a soft chuckle.

"I guess not."

Nazz smiled at this and picked up her fork to begin eating.

* * *

The pair sat together eating, talking and laughing. Nazz's mom had long since left for her yoga class. Before she left, she'd asked Nazz to put away any remaining food. Marie leaned against the countertop, eyes watching as Nazz flittered about, putting the food away. The clock now read 9:35. She kicked her leg lazily. She'd offered to help, but Nazz had declined, saying that it wasn't too much work. Marie couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched Nazz move. The way she hummed. It was such a clear, lilting sound. She wasn't sure when she had begun to smile. Maybe she'd always been smiling.

Her thoughts about the blonde were suddenly brought to a screeching halt when the sound of her phone's ringtone pierced the serenity. Marie blinked several times and watched as Nazz's expression shifted from happy to concerned curiosity. Deep brown eyes trailed down as she looked at her phone screen and an audible groan escaped her.

"Who is it?" Nazz asked.

"May. Hang on, Princess." With that, Marie hopped up and answered her phone with a less than enthused, "What d'ya want, May?" She strolled from the kitchen, leaving Nazz to pick up on the muffled sound of Marie's voice in the other room.

The blonde quietly put the remaining food away and stacked the dishes in the dishwasher. She was able to hear Marie saying things like "It's none'a her business where I chose to spend the night." and "How fuckin' hard was it to put pasta in a pot?!" After a moment or two, she heard Marie sigh exasperatedly, apologize, mumble something else and then hang up. Azure eyes glinted with curiosity as she watched Marie trudge back into the kitchen.

"Is everything okay?"

Marie rubbed the back of her head and shrugged. "As okay as they can be. May was just callin' and wonderin' where I was. Lettin' me know Lee's got her panties in a knot again'n how it was my turn to cook last night." She shook her head. "Nothin' to worry yourself over, Princess but I should probably be leavin' soon..."

Nazz frowned slightly but nodded understandingly. "I can grab your clothes for you."

"You don't have-" but Nazz was already walking towards the laundry room. Marie ran her fingers through her hair with a soft laugh. Nazz was sweet.

It didn't take too long for Nazz to return with Marie's clothes. She handed the folded clothes back to the bluenette with a smile on her lips. Marie's smile returned as she met the blonde's azure gaze.

"Thanks, Princess. For everythin'." After balancing her clothes in one arm, she stepped forward and wrapped her other arm around the slightly shorter girl to draw her into a warm embrace. She suppressed a soft sigh when she felt Nazz unhesitantly return the gesture.

The pair seemed to linger in their shared embrace for what seemed like ever before Marie finally, with some reluctance, pulled away from Nazz. She brushed her bangs from her face. "I'm gonna go change'n head out. I'll text you later, okay?"

Nazz nodded. "I'll be waiting."

Marie flashed a grin just before turning to walk to the bathroom to change.

* * *

Once Marie was changed, the girls shared one final hug before she left. After Nazz closed the door on the blue-haired mechanic, she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed quietly. As she turned to walk back up to her room, she thought about the past few weeks and all the time she had been spending with Marie. Their time spent together had long since stopped being about their project. Nazz found that she genuinely enjoyed Marie's company. There was a bit of a rough edge to her that she never really experienced when she was hanging out with her other friends. To her, Marie was... Exciting? Fascinating? _Attractive?_

Without even realizing it, Nazz stopped mid-stride as her cheeks gained the softest blush. Attractive? No... Marie wasn't attractive. She gripped the banister of the stairs and stared down at the floor. ...Right? Marie was just a friend. Just someone she liked to listen to music with. Someone she liked to sing and watch movies with. Someone who was easy to talk to. Someone who listened...

 _Hell..._

Nazz began walking again, a mild sense of guilt rising up within her. She wasn't supposed to think Marie was attractive. Kevin was the attractive one. He was the popular jock that everyone thought was her boyfriend. They weren't dating, but that never stopped the rumors that they were. She shouldn't have felt guilty. There was no reason to. And yet. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was feeling guilty because she actually _did_ find Marie attractive.

She stepped into her room and sat down on her bed. Her nearby phone was fully charged and buzzing with a new message notification. She picked it up to see who it was from. Kev. She sat back against her headboard and unlocked her phone to read the message sent.

 _hey nazz. u didn't reply 2 my messages last nite._

She scrolled up to look at messages she had seen but didn't bother replying to right then.

 _Sorry Kev. I kinda went to bed super early last night._

It didn't take long for her to get a reply.

 _that's cool. u free 2 hang out 2day?_

Nazz stared at the screen of her phone for several long moments. Normally she wouldn't have hesitated at the thought of spending time with Kevin, but now? Even she wasn't sure how she felt. After a moment of silent debate with herself, she replied.

 _Sure dude. I'll be free around noon today._

 _awesome. c u then._

The blonde dropped her phone onto the mattress beside her and brought her hands up to rub her face. Kevin was still her friend and she did like spending time with him and Rolf, should he be there too. But she knew how Kevin could be. He was a flirtatious boy who made it clear many times that he was into her. And for the longest time, Nazz _thought_ she was into him too. Now, though, she wasn't sure what she was feeling.

She sighed and stood, bringing her phone with her. She would worry about what to do and say later. For the moment, she decided that she would do a little bit of cleaning to distract herself. She was often such a confident, sure girl, but these feelings were doing a wonderful job of creating chaos in her mind.

* * *

Acrid smoke wafted from Marie's nostrils as she strolled away from the corner store. A cigarette was between her lips and a canned energy drink was in her hand. She knew that the second she saw Lee, all hell would break loose. Was she scared? Of course she wasn't. That didn't mean she wanted to deal with Lee, though. The notification ping on her phone brought her attention to her phone. She pulled it out of her jumper pocket and noticed the message was from May.

 _where r u? dont come home. lees_ _about redy_ 2 _explode._

Marie rolled her eyes but was glad that she could count on her little sister. Sometimes.

 _thanks may. i owe you one. just tell her i'm out if she asks._

 _ok._

Marie jammed her phone back in her pocket and took another drag from her cigarette. She never understood why Lee didn't just call or text her herself. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she wasn't exactly watching where she was going. Before too long, she found herself colliding with another body. She stumbled but the other person fell.

"Hey watch where you're goin' why don'tcha? I got half a mind to-" Marie's voice stopped when she finally realized who she bumped into. "Well that's a familiar face." She laughed and reached a hand out to help the stammering boy she had collided with.

Edd's cheeks were a soft shade of red, a sign of just how flustered he had become. It was clear that Marie still made him nervous in spite of the years that had gone by since she'd last actively attempted to pursue him. Regardless, he took her hand. "S-Sorry Marie. I should have been watching where I was going and-" He yelped quietly as he was hefted up to his feet in one swift motion. He reached into the messenger bag at his side and withdrew a small brush, which he then used to dust himself off.

Marie laughed quietly and tossed the butt of her cigarette to the ground before crushing it beneath her boot. "Don't worry about it, man. What're you doin' out so early?" Ten in the morning was early for the bluenette.

The bookish boy fiddled with the straps of his bag. "I was headed to the library to study for my upcoming AP Physics examination." He shifted his weight between his feet. "If I may ask, what are _you_ doing out and about?" He hoped that didn't sound accusatory.

Blue brows furrowed slightly just before their owner scoffed. "Do you do anythin' other than study?" She scratched at her cheek. "Nothin' really. I just left a friend's house and I'm debatin' on whether I should go home or not. I'm not really in the mood to deal with my sister's bullshit though."

Edd frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, Marie."

Marie shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Edd." She glanced away for a moment then looked back to him. "You mind if I tag along with you to the library?"

The boy blinked, a mild look of surprise crossing his features. "I'm just going to be studying. It's sure to be incredibly boring. Are you certain?"

The bluenette shrugged and smiled. "Sure. I don't got anywhere else to be for a while. Let's go."

Edd allowed himself a small smile as he began to walk in step with Marie. "As you wish."


	6. Chapter 6

The sound of a clock could be heard ticking quietly over the silence of the library. There weren't too many people about. Among the few people in the library were Edd and Marie. Marie's arms were crossed on the table top and her chin was resting on her forearm. Edd sat across from her, pencil scrawling notes as he looked between his book and the paper he was writing on. They had been in the library for almost two and a half hours. In all honesty, Marie was thankful for the silence of the library. The silence gave her time to think. And Edd's presence only served to put her more at ease. That was something he always seemed to be good at whether he was aware of it or not.

Black painted nails tapped lightly at the table top for just a second before she sat up and spoke quite suddenly, albeit softly enough not to truly disturb others working nearby.

"So how do I do it, Edd?"

She'd moved and spoken so abruptly that Edd looked up from his book with a start.

"Pardon?" he asked in a hushed, confused tone.

Marie exhaled heavily and lifted a hand to run through her hair. "How do I tell the person I like that I like 'em?"

Edd's muscles tensed. In spite of the fact that Marie's interest in him seemed to have waned considerably over the years, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread whenever anything of the sort came of up in conversation.

"E-Excuse me?" he stammered.

The bluenette noticed his expression and loosed a breathy chuckle. "Don't worry, man. It ain't you." Her lips curled into a wry smirk when she noticed his body all at once seem to relax. "Try not to relax too hard there, bud."

Edd's cheeks flushed a faint tint of red and he turned his flustered gaze away from her. "Apologies..."

Marie shook her head dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I ain't blamin' ya. Seriously though. How do I tell 'em? As I'm sure you know, subtlety and tact ain't exactly my style."

The middle Ed set his pencil down and rubbed the back of his neck as he stretched. "My how times have changed." He smiled lightly as he heard Marie's chuckle. "Whoever this person is that you're attempting to charm must be something."

"Dude, you don't even know. They're... Just the best. And I feel like they like me back, but I don't wanna run 'em off by bein' a freak. I mean hell. Look at how that turned out when I was tryin' to go after you."

Edd loosed a nervous chuckle then stifled it by coughing into his closed fist. "I see. Well. I'm sure you know that relationship advice isn't normally something I'm asked to offer, but if I were to give an answer I'd only have this to say. Be honest with this person. Tell them how you feel. If they feel the same way then that's sure to be the start of a beautiful relationship. If they don't feel the same way, then at least you tried and hopefully, you both can remain friends."

If Eddy were there right now, he would undoubtedly be screaming at Edd about the fact that, not only was he calmly hanging out with Marie Kanker, he was also somehow delusional enough to believe that Marie would take rejection like a reasonable human being. Edd knew this but it was clear to him that Marie wasn't quite the same girl he knew seven years ago.

Marie worked her jaw back and forth and averted her gaze for a moment. When she finally did look back at him, there was a smile on her lips. "You really think it'll be that easy, huh?"

Edd nodded. "Of course. I feel that you should tell this person how you feel sooner rather than later because who knows what could happen if you don't. They could end up with someone else because you were too late in explaining your feelings."

Dark eyes widened slightly. As he said this, images of Nazz and Kevin flickered across her mind. The sound of Kevin's mocking laughter rang in her ears. She clenched her jaw and snapped her eyes shut. Her fingers balled into fists and for a moment, she felt as though she wanted to hit something. She inhaled, counted to ten, then exhaled through her nostrils. Her hands and muscles relaxed. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Edd had somewhat hidden himself behind his textbook. She exhaled heavily once again.

"Are... You alright, Marie?"

She nodded. "Yeah, man. I'm cool. Listen though. I gotta go. Thanks for the advice, Edd."

He nodded once in response then perked up. "Oh! If I may ask. Who exactly is it that you're trying to talk to?"

As she stood to leave, she simply curled her lips into a knowing smile. "They're royalty." And with that, she turned to leave without bothering to acknowledge any other inquiries he may have had. 

* * *

"I'm hella pumped for the game against Lemonbrook Wednesday. With you and the squad cheerin' us on, there's no way we can lose. Plus," Kevin leaned close and lowered his voice, "Coach has been workin' on a new blitz tactic that'll guarantee the goons from Lemonbrook won't even have time to react." His arm tensed slightly around her shoulders before once again relaxing.

Nazz flickered her azure gaze over to the boy that, she felt, was far too close. She took a long sip of her smoothie and curled her lips into a small grin.

"That's awesome, Kev. I've seen the way you guys move when I'm not busy leading the squad through their routines."

The jock snickered, momentarily crushing his smoothie's straw between his teeth. "We look good, right?"

"Better than good, dude. You're gonna stomp Lemonbrook!" She projected a bit of enthusiasm into her tone so that it didn't seem as though she was totally disinterested in what he was saying.

As the pair rounded a corner, Kevin's grin shifted into a more mischievous smirk. "Maybe after we win, you and I can take a ride up to that ridge overlookin' the Cul-De-Sac and celebrate."

Nazz rolled her eyes and lightly jabbed her elbow into his side with a scoff. "Sorry, dude. I can't. I'm gonna be kinda busy after the game."

Kevin's smirk faded near instantly. "Man... For real?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I've gotta get back to working on the project for Lit class."

His brow furrowed. "Y'mean the one you're workin' on with Marie?"

Again, Nazz nodded. Before she could speak, however, Kevin stopped in his tracks, causing her to stop as well. He unwrapped his arm from around her shoulders and turned abruptly to face her.

"You've been spendin' a hell of a lot of time with her, Nazz. Is there somethin' goin' on between you two?"

The blonde's jaw dropped and she stared incredulously at the jock. She seemed almost taken aback that he would say something like that to her. Once the initial shock had passed, Nazz's eyebrows furrowed. She lifted a manicured finger and prodded him in the center of his chest.

"First off, who I spend my time with is none of your concern. Second, she's my friend, Kevin. Just like you, Rolf, Sarah and Jimmy are. I get that you're worried about me, but Marie's done nothing even remotely violent since we started hanging out." She pulled her hand back, eyes still set in a glare. "And even if there _was_ something going on between us, you'd probably be the first person to know." That... Was likely a lie. "You know I tell you pretty much everything." She sighed and brought her hand up to run it through her hair. "Look, Kev. Marie and I are just friends, okay?" Her expression softened. "Don't worry, okay dude?"

Kevin looked surprised. Nazz rarely snapped at anyone, least of all at him. He averted his gaze and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah... Yeah alright. Sorry, Nazz."

She shook her head and curled her lips into a small smile. "It's fine." She gently bumped her hip against his then wrapped her arm around his waist. "Now c'mon. I thought we were supposed to be hanging out."

He uttered a sheepish laugh and nodded in response, arm once again finding its way around her shoulders. "You're right."

Once again the two began to walk. As she walked in step with Kevin, she sipped slowly at her smoothie. Her eyes lowered to the ground as she thought about what she had said. She clenched her eyes shut. Emotions were hard... 

* * *

"Hoo boy, I'm lookin' hot. Eddy ain't gonna know what hit 'em." Lee spoke to her reflection as she applied another layer of lipstick.

"My man's gonna melt when he gets a load'a me." May giggled, running a mascara brush through her lashes.

Marie watched from their bed as her sisters dolled themselves up for yet another attempt at gaining the Eds' attention. She had managed to convince her sisters that she was dealing with too bad a headache to go out with them.

Lee looked over her shoulder at her younger sister and brushed her bangs to the side. "You sure you're not feelin' any better?"

Marie rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket up over her head. "If I was feelin' better I'd be up and gettin' dressed now wouldn't I?"

The redheaded Kanker scoffed and returned her attention to the mirror.

"Whatever, smartass." She twirled away from the mirror to face the door. "May'n I'll be back later."

"Yeah yeah. Be safe or whatever." _Just go..._

"C'mon May." With that, Lee turned out the light to their room and shut the door behind her youngest sister.

Marie waited until she heard their front door shut before quickly sitting up and pulling her phone from her pocket. She looked up Nazz's number and typed up a message.

 _hey princess. what're you doing? are you busy?_

It didn't take long for the blonde to reply.

 _Hey Marie! No. I'm in the backyard stargazing. What's up?_

Reading that brought a smile to her lips.

 _good._ _i was wondering if you could meet me on the culdesac overlook. i need to talk to you. it's important._

She threw the blanket off of her legs and swung them over the edge of the bed. As she stood, her phone buzzed with a new message.

 _Sure I'll be there as soon as I can. Is everything okay? Do you need me to call you?_

Marie chuckled audibly as she began looking through her dresser for a change of clothes with one hand.

 _nah. everything i have to say would be better said in person._

It didn't take Nazz long to reply.

 _Okay. I'll see you in a little bit._

Before Marie tossed her phone on her bed to change, she sent one last message.

 _see you soon, princess._

* * *

Marie's bangs swayed slightly in the cool breeze of the nighttime air. She glanced at her phone screen. The time read 9:45 P.M. She exhaled slowly through her nostrils and turned the screen off, laying her phone on her stomach. She had arrived ten minutes earlier and had spent the time looking up at the sky. It was a clear night and, atop the overlook, the stars were fully visible. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of nighttime nature. It was soothing. In all honesty, it did wonders to calm her nerves. Inside she was an anxious wreck. Never before had anyone made her feel as twitterpated as Nazz did. Not even Edd back when she actually wanted him. She was _Marie Kanker_. Things weren't supposed to make her nervous. She didn't usually think. She often just _did_. So then why was the thought of talking to Nazz so-

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps. She sat up quickly and opened her eyes to see Nazz walking towards her. She had a blanket draped over her arms. Her heart began to race and she smiled.

"You actually showed up," Marie spoke as she watched Nazz spread the blanket out on the ground.

"Of course I did. Did you think I wasn't?" She took a seat on the blanket and patted the spot beside her as a wordless invitation for Marie to join her.

The bluenette quickly rolled until she was lying on her back beside the blonde. She looked up to the sky and shrugged.

"I'm still tryin' to get used to the fact that someone doesn't flake on me when they say they're gonna be somewhere."

Laughter followed Marie's words. Nazz knew all too well that the other girl was talking about her sisters. Nazz's laugh made Marie smile, but it didn't help the thundering heart hammering away in her chest.

"Sorry if I interrupted your stargazin'."

Nazz shook her head and finally rolled to lie back next to Marie.

"Don't worry about it. It's actually way easier to see the stars from here." Her head canted to the side as she gazed up to the millions of tiny dots in the sky. She lifted a hand and pointed to one of the constellations. "Check it out. There's Orion. Can you see it?"

Marie's brow furrowed. It took her a moment, but she soon was able to make out the entire constellation.

With a chuckle, she said, "Oh yeah. I can kinda make him out."

Nazz smile and turned her attention to Marie.

"Something tells me you didn't want me here just to look at and talk about the stars. What's up, dude?"

Marie's lips quivered slightly before she turned her head to look at Nazz. They were so close. Faces mere inches apart. She opened and closed her mouth several times. For a girl normally so vocal, she seemed to have difficulty finding just what she wanted to say. Or rather... How she wanted to say it without looking like a complete idiot.

"Princess. Nazz I..."

Her words died in her throat once again, which caused her to stifle a growl. With a slight shake of her head, she took in the other girl's look of mild confusion and finally thought, _Fuck it._ She reached over and gently placed a hand on the back of Nazz's head. And in one swift motion, she closed both her eyes and the distance between their lips.

Ever since she was a preteen, she'd often resorted to kissing being the action that proved to someone just how much she liked them. As a younger teenager, her kisses were often forced on a boy who didn't want them, though. Time went on and eventually, she realized that forcing a million and one kisses on a person wasn't exactly the best way to let them know she liked them. She was a girl of action, though. A romantic beneath her punkish exterior and to her, kissing was one of the most romantic and simple gestures a person could perform.

It wasn't an aggressive kiss. It was tender and surprisingly apprehensive. Just when she was thinking of pulling away, she felt Nazz press forward into the liplock. Her heart soared in her chest. She held the kiss for a few long seconds and slowly pulled back with an audible, though quiet smack. When she opened her eyes, they were met with deep pools of blue. Both girls were sporting a blush, though Marie more so.

For a while, neither girl spoke. Pink manicured nails skimmed delicately over the flushed, freckled cheeks of the blue-haired punk. Soft lips held a warm smile. Nazz had moved closer to Marie and felt the security of a strong arm wrapped around her slender frame. She closed her eyes for a second to revel in the sensation of Marie's fingers caressing through her blonde tresses. She traced the pads of her thumbs along Marie's cheekbones in response. Her breath ghosted against Marie's lips and Marie's did the same to hers.

After what seemed like an eternity of wordless eye contact and gentle touches, Marie broke the silence.

"So..."

Nazz cut her off with a quick press of her fingertip to her lips. Just from the look in Marie's eyes she knew what was about to be asked.

"Yes."

Marie's eyes illuminated and a beaming grin was mirrored on Nazz's face. Nazz moved her finger and leaned in to capture Marie's lips in another affectionate lock. Marie giggled into the kiss and rolled onto her back, pulling Nazz's body halfway on top of her own.

As her fingers locked together on the small of Nazz's back, she closed her eyes and tilted her head, pressing back into the kiss. "Happy" wasn't the proper word for what filled Marie's chest. "Elated and blissful" seemed much better. The Cul-De-Sac's Angel was hers and not a damn thing was going to take that away from her.


End file.
